Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Clark Renteria.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kim. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started Lighthouse Glass 24 years ago. We do site architectural stained glass. The work is site specific, and we collaborate with architects, interior designers and individuals.
Most of our work is in Texas but there are installations throughout the United States.
International commissions include residential commissions in Paris, France and Antigua, Guatemala. We also have a stained glass window at the Highland Sherpa Resort in Pangboche, Nepal.
In the past five years, I have been creating one of a kind functional art in fused glass.
Some of the items are sets of dinner plates, platters, bowls and a variety of items for the home.
We also sell one of a kind jewelry at Lighthouse Glass.
The three years prior to founding Lighthouse Glass, I started the art program at the Post Oak Montessori School and taught art to all levels for three years. My previous professional background was in international textile. I designed sweaters for ski racers in Vail Colorado after graduating from the University of Denver with a degree in Sculpture and Biology. Four years later I moved to New York City, designing and producing needlepoint canvases. During this time period, I also established a “cottage industry” business producing one-of-a-kind sweaters. Later she began utilizing her talents to produce and exhibit “wearable art” in Montreal, Canada. After relocating to Hong Kong, I maintained my sweater business and also designed for the American company Marisa Christina. I also taught fashion students at Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Anyone who has their own business knows there are peaks and valleys. The first few years that I started the business was not easy, because I did not have a reputation and a solid portfolio. We have been lucky: our doors are still open and we have been able to do such interesting projects whether for a sacred space, a person’s bathroom or in a commercial space or hospitals.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We specialize in site specific architectural stained glass and functional fused glass pieces for the home. We also do repairs and restoration of existing stained glass. We also have a line of one of a kind jewelry.
Each art window is designed specifically for the client and is one of a kind. When I meet with individuals, I believe I am able to really hear and understand their aesthetics. My goal is to make each commission not only to harness the beauty of light and color, but to also reflect the client’s tastes and intent.
Art windows are a tool to harness light in the way that best suits the space. There are many factors that need serious consideration.
Stained glass windows can be seen in sacred spaces around the world that are centuries old. Structural integrity is key in making windows that are not only beautiful but of the highest quality. We are a high-end studio because we are using the best materials to fabricate the design.
Our production manager Selena Precella and I have been working together for 22 years and we have been a yin and yang team that works professionally. We take our work very seriously and we still manage to laugh at each other’s jokes every day.
Glass is such a magical medium and definitely my life’s passion, but it is the collaboration with clients and glass together; where the true magic lies
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I had eight aquariums in my room and loved animals and art above all else.
I spent a lot of time in the woods when I was not drawing or painting at my desk. I had great friends. I grew up in Toledo, Ohio. My parents were Canadian so I spent summers with relatives in Clear Water Bay, a part of Lake of the woods several hours from Winnipeg, Manitoba. We were canoeing, sneaking off to the cliffs, jumping off the docks always baiting each other with the reminder that there was a very old and huge soft shelled turtle who once bit one of my cousins canoe paddle right in half.
In high school I was very involved in school activities especially sports, including gymnastics, field hockey and skiing, The aquariums remained and I was still making art as a matter of course, I had wonderful friends. I was not a loud person growing up, but people heard me as a somewhat privileged blond girl. I was lucky to have been raised to know that racism and prejudice were wrong in ALL forms. That core belief has stayed with me today and something I feel very strongly about.
Pricing:
- My stained glass prices range from $350.00 a square foot to $550.00 a square foot.
- Fused glass pieces range from $25.00- $200.00
- Necklaces range from $45-$120.00
Contact Info:
- Address: Lighthouse Glass
2409 Huldy Street,
Houston, Texas 77019 - Website: lighthouseglass.com
- Phone: 713-524-5945
- Email: kim@lighthouseglass.com,
- Instagram: kimclarkrenteria
Copyright Mark Hiebert
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